FARMINGTON BOARD OF SELECTMEN
MEETING MINUTES
APRIL 26, 2004
Attendance: Gerald McCarthy, Paula Parker, Matthew Scruton & Paul Parker
Staff: Ernest M., Creveling, Town Administrator
The meeting convened and was called to order by Chairman McCarthy at 6:00 pm. He led everyone present in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Minutes
N/A
Correspondence
Ernie said the Selectmen are in receipt of several letters from residents concerning gravel roads in Town. Matt said some residents from the Meaderboro Road would like to see a portion (approx. 1.5 mi.) of the road in a plan for paving. He said earlier the Selectmen discussed the possibility of holding a meeting strictly to address Town roads. Discussion then ensued. Paul said he remembers expressing concern about the cost to constantly maintain gravel roads, wondering if perhaps the Board should consider paving. Ernie said this is why a workshop is necessary.
He said he asked Clark to get additional information from the University of New Hampshire (UNH) in support. Gerry recommended obtaining pricing for paving of certain roads and then place them individually on the Town Warrant for meeting next year. Ernie said they would need an objective comparison versus responding to petitions. He said he would have the information in time for the next meeting at which time the Board of Selectmen could decide when to hold a workshop.
Ernie then told the Board that Team Torey has written to the Board asking for donations in support of cancer research. He said he hasn’t called them yet, but would respond to them and report back to the Selectmen.
Appointment Policies & Procedures
Norm said at the last meeting he asked the Board of Selectmen to consider re-writing the appointment procedures for Boards and Committees. He said he is making this suggestion in order to make the process more comprehensive. He recommended a little more leniency with regard to attendance for an interview. He said attendance should be considered from written attendance records versus hearsay. Norm said the Planning Board/ZBA secretary said this would not be difficult. He said this would rectify the current interpretation and said he believes this would be a good idea. He said other areas for consideration would be the potential for conflict, the knowledge of or about the applicant, and their time served. Norm said the needs of the Boards and Commissions should be primary. He
then went into detail of what he believes are the best and most important qualities of an applicant. He said if the Board of Selectmen take into consideration the experience already on a Board, then they could possibly be considered for service again. He said the needs of the Boards and of the community, as well as the needs of the Town should be considered. He said a spreadsheet could be drafted for the Planning/ZBA secretary, Fran, listing the name and attendance record. Paul then asked about the waiver. He said it states the interview could be mandatory. Matt asked Ernie if there is any benefit to leaving out some of these criteria and Ernie said he finds Norm’s draft worthy of consideration. Gerry asked Norm why he doesn’t believe the Planning Board should be elected, due to how powerful the Board is: in order for them to be held accountable to the voters of the community. Norm said he doesn’t believe politics
and planning should be mixed. He said he believes the voters have confidence the Board of Selectmen will select those best to serve. He said longevity shouldn’t necessarily mean a volunteer should not be considered for re-appointment, saying it should depend upon the current status of the Board. He said his perception is there is some confusion in this process with nothing really solid to follow. Paula said she appreciates having a policy written out and feels it is a helpful tool. She said it provides guidance with a direction in which the Board of Selectmen should proceed. Paul said he feels under the waivers section, that senior members should be considered first and should be included in the policy procedure. Norm said Ernie has a disk on which he has provided his draft version of the appointment policies and procedures, to include whatever the Selectmen deem necessary.
Norm said the Chairman is only one person and he feels the recommendations should come from the entire Board and not just one individual. Norm said he would rather see the responsibility of the appointment
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process lay strictly with the Selectmen. Matt said the final decision rests with the Board of Selectmen anyway. Norm said he hopes his draft ideas and suggestions would be found as helpful. Charlie King
agreed with Norm and said he’s volunteered on the Planning Board for the Town of Farmington for two years now and said he believes the appointment policy and procedures should be reviewed for changes. He said attendance records could improve their decision process. Brad said one thought is, a couple of times a senior member of a Board has been offered a seat on a Board as an alternate, after which the member takes offense and resigns altogether. He said he feels there should be a policy thereby promoting alternates up in order to gain more experience and thereby rotating senior members to alternate seats, in order for them to remain on the Board for the benefit of their knowledge/experience, but also to give those with less experience an opportunity to serve. Matt said he would prefer to make such
decisions on a case-by-case basis. Gerry disagreed, saying there should be term limits. Norm said the Selectmen should interview all applicants before making their decisions. Gerry said he reviews all the applications as they are submitted, prior to his decision process and has usually already made up his mind before the actual appointment. Charlie agreed and then urged the Selectmen to recruit townspeople to apply to serve.
Farmington Economic Development Commission (FEDC) By-Laws Revisions
Ernie said the Board has wanted to consider changes to the FEDC By-Laws, in particular the section, which deals with the number/type of members. He then suggested no less than seven members, but no more than 11. He said there is also a conflict of interest caveat and a few other small changes. He said applicants Cindy Paulin and Packy Campbell have already been interviewed. Gerry said with these changes to the membership, he sees no consideration for regular citizenry representation, those with no business affiliation. He said he feels their feedback would be important too. Gerry said business owners have a different perspective than general citizenry. Discussion then ensued about the need for balance within the Commission. Matt said he’s always been in support of
getting more business into Town, but he also agrees with the need for the inclusion of general citizenry. Discussion then ensued on how to word this particular portion of the by-laws.
Charlie King said with regard to allowing up to 11 members and the inclusion of a balance of membership, it could imply the Commission would be locked into 50% distribution. He said perhaps the wording should be a little more liberal. Gerry said common sense should drive this. Paul said under the “removal of office,” he feels it should instead say, “may be removed for just cause”. Gerry disagreed. Paul Parker made a motion to adopt the FEDC By-Laws, as amended tonight. Paula Proulx seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous.
Old Business
Route # 11 & 153 Intersection
Ernie told the Selectmen the project has not yet come before the Governors’ Council, but will on May 5th. He said there is a pre-construction meeting planned with the State on May 11th at 9:30 a.m.
Elm Street Retaining Wall
Ernie said this project would be started in early May.
Town Equipment Auction
Ernie said prior to the staff meeting next Wednesday, he would request a list of all the department equipment available for auction.
Auction of Town-Owned Land
Ernie told the Selectmen other communities usually handle this type of auction by sealed bid, notifying abutters in instances where lots may be un-build able and abutters may be interested to purchase.
Fire Dept. Issues
Deputy EMS Chief Rick Gladding came before the Board of Selectmen to address the Selectmen’s questions concerning the per diem coverage. He said they currently have had 13 calls since the implementation of per diem coverage. Gerry asked about the billing service and Rich said the Town definitely needs to change the service as well as improve the collections process. Matt asked about the rate charges and Rich said they are currently about 18-19% lower than what Medicare charges and the Town should be able to increase the rates accordingly without hardship to patients. Matt then asked how many of the 13 calls required intercept from Frisbie Hospital and Rich said four. He explained the nature of the intercepts. Matt asked if the patients are then double-billed and Rich said he’s not
sure, but he’s certain
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Frisbie bills for their intercept. Discussion then ensued regarding paramedic protocols and how difficult they are to obtain.
Chief Robinson said the 1969 Kaiser 5/4-ton truck obtained from the State which has been used as the forestry vehicle has finally died. He said the Town mechanic has said it has a cracked block and would be difficult to get parts for now. The Chief said he is here this evening to ask for the Board’s permission to turn the current S1 into a new forestry truck. He said he’s received three bids and would like to accept the lowest bid, but said it’s not due to the price, but instead due to the offer from the bidder to reduce the hourly labor wage by $20.00. Chief Robinson said to convert S1 it would involve the removal of the old ambulance box and then a flat bed would need to be fabricated. He said the money is in his budget (in the truck line) and the forestry truck is an important
piece of equipment, which is much more suited to emergency response in the woods. Ed said the State requires the old Kaiser be returned to Bear Brook State Park and a New Durham towing company has offered to tow it to the State park for $75.00. Chief Robinson said he has had his department on the State’s used equipment list for two years now, but nothing has been forthcoming/available. He said Soucy Metal Fabrication has said they can custom make the flat bed for $3,001.15 and the Captain of Engine Co. 1 is willing to help with the work. Discussion then ensued about the existing tanks available for the adaptation to the vehicle. Gerry asked if $3,000 is firm or if there would be any additional unforeseen costs and the Chief said he doesn’t foresee any more than the approximate few hundred dollars for a few items. Paul Parker made a motion to accept the bid from Soucy Metal Fabrication for $3,001.15 for the manufacture of an adapted
flat bed for old S1 in order to convert it from a rescue truck to a forestry truck. Paula Proulx seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous.
The Chief said he has about 1,000 feet of 3” hose, which is not currently being used by his department, and he would like to utilize the money from the sale of the hose for a different need within his department or even perhaps trade/swap for other necessary equipment. Gerry wondered if the hose should be auctioned. Chief Robinson said in the past the Water dept. has used old hose and he is willing to turn it over interdepartmentally, if needed. Gerry said Ed should check first with the Town’s other departments before he decides what to do with it. Ernie said this should be placed on the unused equipment lists from all departments of, which will be presented at the next meeting.
500 Boy’s & Girl’s Club
Randy Talon came forward, saying as a courtesy to the Board of Selectmen he comes before the Board this evening to report on the Paulson Road ball field project. He then distributed the recent plans of the project, noting the soccer field is 2/3 complete. Randy said the Club has an urgent need to continue the work with Pike, saying the Club has decided they are now willing to pay to help complete this portion of the project. He said on Thursday, May 6th the project plans will be presented before Middleton Building Supply for their possible commitment to donate all the building materials. Randy said a local builder has committed to donating all the labor and a local foundation business has said they are willing to donate the concrete work and hopefully the materials as well. He said Pike
Industries would provide the cost within the next few days for the remaining fill needed. He said Thompson Plumbing and Heating has also offered to donate all the plumbing. Randy said it is the hope of the Club to have the soccer field ready for use this year and the ball fields ready between 2005 & 2006, noting the project is picking up speed.
Randy told the Selectmen, the Club is interested in any extra material that might be available through the Town, in order to bring the soccer field up to grade. Ernie asked Randy if the Club’s discussion with Pike Industries includes the hauling of material from their current project. He then asked Randy if Pike might be willing to perform the hauling, saying this might help to facilitate the process since the Highway dept. is already committed to their Town work for the season. Matt then wondered which lot the fill would be coming from and Ernie said, from the pile closest to the daycare. Paul asked how much fill is available and Ernie said he was unsure and would have to consult with Dale. Discussion ensued regarding the process. Randy said one other thing he’d like to mention,
as an observation is the Club had their cleanup this year and as everyone knows the Summer Street area is crowded. He said the Club has reconfigured their parking lot to accommodate 80 vehicles and to get the vehicles off of the street, but opening day still created traffic issues. He asked the Board if they have ever considered routing the road to one-way, due to problems with roadside parking and the narrow passage. The Selectmen said they would take this under advisement.
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Code of Ethics
Ernie said the Board of Selectmen asked for resolution concerning the Code of Ethics. He said he has “shamelessly plagiarized” one from a nearby community. Paul asked who the code is for and Ernie said it would be for all Town officials. Paul said the wording seemed like “legal ease” and is difficult to
understand, noting he feels it could be simplified. The Selectmen then agreed to table this for more detailed review and to vote on it at their next meeting when a full Board is present.
Perambulation
Ernie quoted NH State law RSA51:2, which says perambulation should occur every seven years. He then asked the Selectmen if they were interested in performing this task this year. Gerry said a letter should go out to the adjoining communities, inviting them to assist in the process, perhaps on a Saturday. Matt suggested the use of a GPS unit, wondering if the other corners and points would be confirmed as well and Ernie said if the Board of Selectmen wishes to do so. The Board agreed to invite the neighboring towns.
Other Business as May Come Before the Board
Ernie said he provided a blank survey to members, informing the Selectmen they could submit those to him tonight and he would collate the information and get back to the Board. Paul said one thing he knows was discussed in the past is the Town’s website. He said it’s important the notices and updates be posted and be current, asking Ernie what he would need to help facilitate this. Ernie said the Town actually needs someone dedicated to this. He said currently the responsibilities are divided among employees, but the availability of time is a problem. Discussion then ensued regarding the availability of hiring the individual that works for the library.
Paula then expressed her concern about the fact that the American flag is still missing in the downtown square. Ernie said he would talk with Union Telephone about placing a light on their building to light the flagpole so the flag could be left hanging 24/7. The Board voted to take a five-minute recess.
The Board then reconvened and Paula Prolix made a motion to enter non-public session to discuss an employee matter. Matthew Scruton seconded the motion and the roll call vote was: Gerry-yes, Paul-yes, Paula-yes & Matthew-yes. The Selectmen then entered executive session.
Respectfully submitted,
Lynn C. Seaboyer
Admin. Asst.
APPROVED
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Gerald McCarthy, Chairman
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Joan A. Funk
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Matthew Scruton
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Paula Proulx
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Paul Parker
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